Hetalian Roses
by Blissful Abyss
Summary: Ib is all grown up and finds herself in her worst nightmare for a second time. But a strange Italian man vows to get her out in one piece with him and his own friends. But this world is worse than Ib remembered, and with an old friend wanting to see Ib again after so long and wanting to go back to their normal life, Mary will do what it takes eliminate any threats.
1. I: Abyss of the Deep

_"Mary loved bright colours. She loved the colour red, and she liked yellow just as much, but she liked blue even more."_

* * *

**I - Abyss of the Deep**

"_ITALY_!"Germany yelled at a sleeping Italy. Italy's head snapped upwards, his eyes wide with terror as he bounced onto his feet, his brunette hair slightly on end and his signature curl crooked. He hoped that it wasn't Britain; his cooking was terrifying enough on its own, and Britain's magic could be a bit fearful at times when Britain felt like it! But then there was Russia, and he was just _scary_. He pulled out his spare white flag and waved it in front of his face quickly, his eyes squinted.

"_Aaah_, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I swear I won't put up a struggle, I surrender quietly I swear, and … oh, it's you Germany!"Italy said cheerily, smiling at his neat, blonde haired companion. Germany sighed at him heavily.

"I said we could take a break today, I didn't say you could fall asleep!"Germany snapped, his blue eyes glaring at the ditzy Italian. Why was Italy being nothing but hassle for him today? And he thought he was doing a _nice_ thing, taking Italy and Japan to see the Guertana exhibition at the art museum.

"S-Sorry, Germany, I'm just so sleepy. And some of these pictures are really strange." Italy added fearfully, jumping at the sight of a man hanging upside down from his leg. Japan looked at Italy curiously, his jet black hair also neat and tidy, his dark brown eyes looking confused.

"Itary-san, I thought you wourd be interested in this type of art, seeing that you rike to do artwork. It is very unique as werr."Japan said in quiet awe, taking a photo of a painting of a woman in a pretty red dress. Italy-san would usually talk about his love for art, so his fearful expression towards some of the artwork here was quite unusual for the Japanese man.

"B-But, I like_ happy_ pictures. Some of these artworks are too scary…"Italy whimpered, looking at some melted figure. Germany rolled his eyes at Italy pathetically. Must he be such an easily scared, half-wit imbecile?

"What's so scary about this?"Germany asked in slight frustration, pointing in a random direction. Italy's gaze followed the direction where Germany was pointing.

"It has no head."Italy murmured fearfully at the headless mannequin. Germany sighed tiredly.

"Well, we could go back to training if you-"Germany started looking. He felt his temper rise as he noticed that there was a missing Italy.

"_Italia_!"Germany snarled acidly. Japan shook his head whilst chuckling softly.

"Germany-san, it wourd be best to let Itary-san wark around on his own for a few moments. He might find something that he might rike."Japan said in a hopeful tone, fingering a rose sculpture lightly.

"Ja, I supposed you are right, Japan."Germany said in defeat. He might as well leave that pasta loving freak on his own for a while.

Italy slowed down as he looked behind him to see that Germany wasn't chasing after him thankfully. Yes, some of the artwork was a little unorthodox, there was _no way_ he was going to go back Germany's place to do training. Besides, some of the stuff there wasn't _that_ bad.

"Hmm? What is this?"Italy asked to himself, looking at the picture. The picture had a sleeping man with pale violet hair with a few dark roots wearing a tatty coat leaning back against a black canvas. The man looked peaceful, but Italy couldn't help but think that he must have been in great pain before he fell asleep. It was a beautiful painting though. It looked so realistic.

"_Forgotten Portrait_… mm, this makes me feel really sad now."Italy said softly, tilting his head sideways. He walked away from the depressing painting and found himself bumping into a young lady.

"Eek! I'm sorry _mia bella_!" Italy said frantically. He saw that the lady had long pretty brown hair like Miss. Hungary and shiny red eyes which reminded him of Prussia, wearing a long sleeved shirt and a red skirt that reached her knees. She looked at him apologetically as she shook her head at him.

"No, it was my fault."The girl said softly, bowing slightly. Her gaze travelled upwards as she looked at the _Forgotten Portrait_ art piece.

"I never thought I'd come back here again."The girl said in a hushed voice.

"Hmm?" Italy asked. The girl didn't reply, her eyes on the painting.

"_Ib_! Where are you?"Mary yelled. Ib looked up to see her sister, Mary, running towards her in her favourite green dress with her blonde curls and bright blue eyes. It was weird, they were twins yet they didn't look alike. And Mary didn't look like mother or father. It was bizarre. Perhaps they had blonde haired, blue eyed relatives somewhere in the family, yes that must be it.

"Ib, I told you not to run off, mother and father want us to go out to get a drink."Mary said in a nagging tone. Ib looked down onto her feet sheepishly, cheeks slightly pink.

"I'm sorry, Mary. I was just…"Ib murmured. Mary looked at the painting and wrinkled her nose at it disapprovingly. There was something about that painting that she despised, yet she didn't really understand why she hated the painting so much. It was probably because the colours were too dark; Mary loved bright colours. She loved the colour red, and she liked yellow just as much, but she liked blue even more.

"I don't like this painting. It's ugly."The blonde lady said harshly. Italy looked at the lady with a frown. He didn't really like her attitude, and he thought that she was being a bit harsh calling an impressive looking painting ugly.

"I like it…" The brunette muttered to herself quietly. The blonde lady grabbed her hand and tugged at her arm lightly. The lights started to flicker suddenly, causing Italy to look around fearfully.

"V-Veh? W-What's going on?"Italy asked out loud in a scared voice. He didn't like this kind of thing; likes flickering on and off uncontrollably. It gave him the Heebie-jeebies. As Italy cowered in the nearest corner, he saw the brown haired girl stare at the painting with a shocked look on her face. She reached out towards the painting slowly, and Italy thought that for a split second that the painting was reaching out towards her-

"_IB, DON'T_!" The blonde girl yelled.

The lights went out like a flame being put out from candle. There were a few shocked gasps, one or two screams, sounds of shattering glass, rushing footsteps.

"J-Japan! Where are you? Germany! "Italy wailed fearfully, running around in the pitch black dark. OK, Italy had enough; he wanted to go home now. He had a _wonderful_ time and all, but he didn't want to die just yet. Italy carried on running and realised that it was deadly silent.

"W-Where is everyone?" Italy asked, glancing at a window that he was walking past.

**_BANG BANG BANG_**

Italy shrieked slightly as he fell onto the floor, breathing heavily. There was a hand imprint on the glass as Italy looked closer at the window.

"Eek! S-Someone's behind the window!"Italy stammered, placing his hand over the imprint. There was something there a few seconds ago, but now it seemed as if there wasn't a living soul behind the glass.

"O-Oh, I think I have my phone in my pocket. I could use it as a flashlight…" Italy said in a strained voice, turning his phone on. The screen lit up suddenly as a safe glow engulfed Italy's face, his auburn eyes glittering. Italy crept along the corridors slowly as he passed a painting that was entitled _The Coughing Man._ There was a sudden sound of coughing, making Italy jump suddenly. The coughing stopped as Italy moved away from the painting.

"Hmm? D-Did that painting just…?"Italy questioned in awe, walking towards the painting. The painting didn't respond.

'I must be seeing things…' Italy thought to himself tiredly. He carried on walking until he realised that he stepped in something. Italy looked down slowly and screamed as the red liquid dripped from his shoes.

"_AAAAHHH_! B-Blood!" Italy screamed. He started running towards the exit and tripped over his shoelaces.

"Hehehe, I-I think I'll leave now! Yes, I'll leave and tell Germany and Japan that I was seeing things because I'm so tired!" Italy laughed madly, rushing towards the door. He was _obviously_ tired, that was why he was seeing those crazy things around him. Italy grabbed the door handle and pushed the door. Or, he _tried_ to push the door open. He tried pushing the door again. Nothing happened. He tried to turn the doorknob frantically. Only to find out that…

"It's locked…" Italy said in defeat. He stared at the door with a terrified expression on his face. What was he going to _do_? He couldn't get out, _and_ Germany and Japan were still in the museum somewhere.

"_Over here…_"

"H-Huh? Who's there?" Italy asked with a squeak.

"_Come play with us, Italia… you know you want to…_"A voice rung out softly. Italy froze up on the spot, terrified and somewhat curious. No one in the museum knew that he was a country, so the only other people who would know that he was a country would_ be_ another country.

"A-Are you another country…?" Italy asked fearfully. Pranks were more of America to be honest, and Russia would be doing the scary stuff. And then there were the other Allies in on it. Yes, that was it! This must be a prank by the Allied Forces on the Axis Powers! It had to be.

"Hehe, this isn't funny anymore!" Italy laughed nervously, backing away from the door.

"_Come play, Veneziano… join us…_" The voice cooed. Now that Italy thought about it, the voice didn't sound as if it belonged to anyone in the Allied Forces. And the only one who called him Veneziano was Romano, and he was at Spain's house for the day.

"I-I can make you p-p-pasta if you want! Just don't hurt me!" Italy cried, waving his white flag wildly in case any monsters suddenly jumped out at him from nowhere and tried to eat him.

"_Your friends are waiting… Japan… and Germany…_" The voice cooed. Italy stooped waving his white flag suddenly as the words rung through his ears. Germany… Japan… they were still there somewhere where Italy didn't look.

"G-Germany's still here? And Japan too? Where are they?" Italy asked more boldly. There were several letters being stamped onto the floor, forming two things: a path, and three words. Italy followed the letters as he was able to piece together what they were trying to spell.

**_ C...O...M...E...P...L...A...Y...I...T...A...L...Y..._**

"Where are you guys? I want to go back home and make some pasta!" Italy called out. He found himself back where he was before everything went strange looking at _Forgotten Portrait_. But the painting looked different. It was as if someone tore at the painting slightly.

Italy turned his head to see the painting on the floor (he remembered it being called _Abyss of the Deep_) make ripples and saw the water flow freely. The water looked so lifelike; even the fish under the water were swimming around dreamily. Italy leaned forwards to stare in awe as the painting was brought to life.

"I wonder if that's really water-" Italy pondered to himself.

_"Wanna see_?"

Italy felt something collide into his back sharply, possibly a pair of hands, and felt himself falling in a downwards direction. He fell through the water even though he wasn't getting wet. But he knew one thing: he was falling down the hole at a fast rate.

"_Geeeerrrrmmmaaaaannnnnnyyyy_!"Italy screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell deeper into the abyss. When would the falling _stop_? Maybe this was just a nasty nightmare, maybe Italy would wake up soon. He wanted Germany to come and save him, he'd even go to training if he had to! He just wanted all of this to stop!

As the young man fell through the hole in the ground a figure appeared in front of the red velvet rope, holding a lovely grassy green rose in his hands, alongside a black rose and white rose. The figure smiled to themselves widely as they heard the young man scream. This particular person wasn't as human as any other person the figure had seen. This person was quite extraordinary. And he wasn't the only unusual person in this world. Oh no, the roses proved it. Three of them were very special people.

"This will be very… interesting." The figure chuckled to themselves, throwing the green rose down the hole. The young gentleman would be able to find the rose as soon as he landed in the Frabricated World. As long as the women didn't find the rose before him, the young man would be fine.

The women there _loved_ playing 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not.'

* * *

And so, the story begins.

I'll be updating every Sunday, just not this Sunday. Check out my other fanfictions and play the game, I promise you, you won't regret it.

Oh, and I don't own Hetalia or Ib.


	2. II: Roses and Introductions

_ Japan picked up the note and read it to himself. _**_'When the rose wilts, so too will you wilt away.'_**

* * *

**II - Roses and Introductions**

Japan woke up with a swirling head, an aching body face first on the floor with a slight gap in his memory. As Japan tried to see if he had sustained any injuries, he was trying hard to remember what happened up until this present point.

He remembered that he was looking at the pretty woman in the red dress for a second time as Germany-san went to look at another section of the art museum for Italy-san. Japan had did some research and remembered that there were rumours that the painting was based on Guertena's lover at the time. The lights started to flicker suddenly, and Japan frowned at the lights as he thought that the museum's lighting system wasn't doing that well. And then… then…

"T-The Rady in Red…" Japan hissed in pain, standing up slowly. He remembered. The pretty woman with the lovely red dress grabbed him from behind and pulled him through the frame swiftly with ease. He remembered those glistening red eyes filled to the brim with insanity, her smile stretching to her bottom eyelashes as her teeth shone menacingly. The sight was a terrifying wonder to behold. Something he wasn't keen on seeing again anytime soon.

"It was probabry just a dream. After arr, I am stirr in the museum." Japan said to himself reassuringly. He looked around and started to take in his surroundings. The walls were a wine red with the carpet a darker shade than the walls. On the walls were different paintings, paintings that Japan had never seen before. He walked down the corridor slowly and cautiously, his hand resting on the handle of his katana that he had brought with him. This part of the museum was very quiet indeed. It was like a ghost town.

"Where is everybody?" Japan asked aloud. Japan's question was thrown back to him with echoes of his own voice. This part was deserted. He carried on walking, and then found himself facing a bright red door with a red handle. Japan hesitated for a few moments. What if this was some kind of trick, some kind of trap? But Japan shook himself mentally. He was over stressing it now. What happened with him and the painting was just a trick of the mind. Japan grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open.

The first thing that Japan saw was the rose that was sat in the vase on the single table. The rose was in full bloom with soft looking petals. Japan walked towards the rose slowly, but also noticed another painting hung behind it of a broken window with a red vase on a white table. Japan frowned and looked at the small plaque underneath the painting.

'_THEIF.'_

Japan frowned again. The painting didn't portray anything to do with a thief, or anything to do with a form of robbery. It just looked like a broken window and an empty vase. Japan turned his attention to the white rose and examined it more closely. It was a very pretty gentle white, and the stem was a deep, lively green. Japan was transfixed by the rose. It was a beautiful rose, and it seemed that the rose was well looked after. As Japan took the rose from the vase, he suddenly noticed a small note that was set right next to the vase. Japan picked up the note and read it to himself.

'_When the rose wilts, so too will you wilt away.'_

"It does not make any sense. I wirr wirt when the rose wirts?" Japan asked aloud. He didn't understand what was going on here. He didn't understand what the note meant, or where he even was anymore. As Japan stepped forward, he heard a small crackling noise.

He looked down to his surprise to see shattered glass around him on the floor, scattered across the room evenly. Japan frowned again. Since when was there so much glass on the floor? Japan didn't recall this mess when he came inside the room.

"What on earth…?" Japan murmured to himself. He glanced at the painting, then to the floor. The glass in the painting was shattered… and there was glass on the floor… had someone broken into the room to steal something? No, that was absurd, it was impossible. Japan looked up to see, to his great shock, blood red scribbles on the wall underneath the painting. Japan frowned again. Just what was this place? Was this a joke planned by someone that he knew? But, no-one else was in the room to write something on the wall, and it couldn't have Japan of course. Japan walked towards the inscription on the wall and peered at it closely.

'_oh goody, you found my rose! as a reward, you can keep it, but be careful! the women love playing loves me loves me not…_'

"That's a pretty rose you got there." A voice said. Japan turned around sharply to see a young lady with long blonde curls and bright blue eyes, wearing a long green dress with a white collar and cuffs and a blue tie around her neck, and noticed that she was holding a bright yellow rose in her hands. Japan didn't respond for a while. He thought he'd seen the young lady before; she could have been someone from the gallery.

"Who are you?" Japan asked slowly. The young lady smiled widely as she curtsied.

"I'm Mary. What's your name?" The young lady asked in return. Japan froze for a moment. The young lady seemed friendly enough.

"… My name is Kiku. Kiku Honda." Japan replied slowly. Mary tilted her head slightly, a small smile on her face.

"Kiku… I like it!" Mary said with a laugh. Japan looked at Mary up and down. He could have sworn that he saw her with another person; another girl around about her age.

"Are you on your own?" Japan asked. Mary's smile fell suddenly.

"I'm looking for my sister. I'm worried that someone could be hurting her…" Mary said in a hushed voice, her eyes swelling up with tears. Japan didn't know how to respond. It seemed that both of them lost those who were close to them.

"Ah, I see. I am rooking for my friends. It seems that we got separated when the museum started acting strangery." Japan said.

"I-Is it alright if I… if I stay with you? I don't want to be here all on my own." Mary asked quietly.

"Of course you can. But you wirr have to risten to-" Japan said sternly. Mary's eyes found Japan's rose and gasped in awe.

"Wow, your rose is _white_! My rose is yellow, but yours is so much more _prettier _than mine!" Mary said excitedly. Japan sighed heavily. This Mary seemed to be a very energetic young lady. If he hadn't fought any better he would have thought that the young girl was one of Italy-san's lady friends.

.

To Italy's surprise, he was able to land on his feet gracefully when he found himself in a small white corridor. Italy looked around, eyes wide in fear. Just where was he? Was he still in the museum? It looked a lot like the museum, but he couldn't tell. The room had no painting or sculpture at all, unless it was a room for people to relax. But Italy just wanted to go home.

"V-Veh, I want to go home! I don't like this place at all!" Italy wailed out loud, walking down the corridor slowly, looking around constantly in case anything else weird happened to him. It was very peaceful for the time being, and Italy suddenly noticed a vase on a table at the end of the corridor blocking a door. But in the vase was a bright, grassy green rose that shone with perfect health.

"_Ooh_, what a pretty rose! Surely someone must be here who looks after a rose!" Italy cried out joyfully, rushing down the corridor with a grin. When he reached the rose he noticed a note, but was too distracted by the rose to pay attention to the note. He took the rose out of the vase which was in full bloom, and inspected it closely. It was of course well looked after, and it seemed as if someone cared for this rose very much. Italy glanced at the door, which was a slight shade darker than the walls with a golden doorknob. Italy wondered what was behind the door curiously. If it would lead him out of this place, he would try his best to be brave. He pushed the table to the side (he'd rather Germany being there to push it for him to be honest) and grabbed the door handle. Italy took a deep breath and pushed the door open before he could chicken out at the last moment.

The walls were a pale green colour with the floor a deep shade of jade. On the walls were paintings off a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird and a painting of a spider. Italy walked up to the paintings slowly, clutching his rose tightly. He had a strange feeling that this rose was very important to him. Italy inspected the insect paintings closely, and was shocked at how realistic they looked. It was as if someone had taken a picture of the insects themselves the paintings were that impressive.

"Hmm? I never knew there were pictures like these." Italy said in slight awe.

That was when Italy heard faint footsteps from behind him.

Italy spun around on the spot whilst pulling out his white flag, ready to surrender to this stranger. But his eyes widened slightly as he recognised the pretty young lady with the long brown hair like Miss. Hungary and those red eyes that were just like Prussia's.

"O-Oh, you are from the museum!" Italy cried out joyfully. The young lady looked at Italy with a shocked face, which then turned into a face of recognition.

"You're that man from the gallery; the man that I walked into." The young lady added in a hushed voice, eyes wide. Italy smiled widely. He was right, it _was_ the young lady from the gallery!

"Yes! It's so nice to see someone else here besides from me! I thought that I would be all alone here, but now I'm not! Of course, this would be a lot better if we had some pasta! Do you like pasta? I like it a lot! But I like pizza as well, and I like tiramisu as well! Oops, I'm not making such sense, am I?" Italy asked with a grin as the pretty lady's bemused face. The young lady shook her head at him.

"How can you be so happy here…? Are you not scared?" The young lady asked quietly. Italy noticed that she had a very pretty bright red rose in her hand. Italy shook his head.

"Not anymore, now that someone else is here with me!" Italy beamed. The young lady frowned at him slightly.

"But you don't know me." The young lady said knowingly. Italy tilted his head slightly, still beaming at the young lady. He was just so happy that he wasn't actually alone anymore. Yes, he had no idea who she was; he didn't even know what nationality she was. But the young lady looked very kind and gentle and sweet to Italy.

"Si, but you seem very nice! And you're very pretty too!" Italy added with a sweet face as young lady blushed slightly. Italy bowed to the young lady respectfully, taking her hand gently.

"My name is -" Italy paused for a second as he recalled his human alias, "Feliciano. Feliciano Vargas." The young lady smiled a small smile and curtsied at Italy slowly.

"My name is Ib." The lady said softly. Italy smiled. Her name sounded a lot like Eve, and that was a nice name too. But Ib seemed a lot more unique and prettier.

"Okie-dokie Ib, let's try and get out of here together!" Italy beamed with a large grin.

"_hi there._" A small voice piped from the ant that was crawling on the floor. Italy squealed loudly as he fell back into the wall, trembling in fear and shock. Ib giggled lightly at Italy.

"Y-You can _talk_?!" Italy asked in a terrified voice. The ant carried on.

"_i'm an ant. i love paintings. my painting is especially cool. i'd like to see it again, but it's kinda far away. could you bring it to me_?" The ant said in a high pitched voice. Italy nodded absentmindedly, still trembling. The ant could actually _talk…_

_._

Germany had been wondering this accursed place for long enough. As he was trying to find that past loving swine he called an ally, he noticed that the lights were flickering suddenly. Germany frowned as he walked down a flight of stairs that didn't seem to end that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and suddenly disappeared when he reached the end. When they did end, he was in a strange place, the walls a pale red and the floor bleached pink. He had then found a jet black rose and saw a note saying that he and the rose were _conjoined_, and that he should _know the weight of his own life_. Although Germany didn't fully understand, he assumed that the rose he had found had something to do with his life. And now, he didn't know where to go at all.

If only he hadn't let Italy out of his sight. This place was strange and unusual. Yes, Japan would be fine on his own, as he was usually quite calm and one dimensional, Italy was easily frightened by anything that was surreal and scary in some ways. He knew that Italy would be running around, crying for Germany to save him and to look after him. Germany just wanted to find Italy and Japan and just leave as soon as possible.

Germany almost didn't notice stepping on a figure.

Germany looked down to see a man with pale violet hair with a few dark indigo strands of hair on the top of his head. The man wore a tatty coat with pale brown trousers. Germany bent down and grasped the man's shoulder firmly.

"Hey, are you alright?" Germany asked, shaking his shoulder. The man groaned in pain, and Germany noticed that he was clutching a blue rose with only one petal left. Germany took the rose off of him without hassle and looked at it. The rose looked as battered as the man. If this man's rose was like Germany's, then that meant that the man was in deep trouble.

"I'll be right back." Germany said in a determined voice. He marched away from the man down the hall through the door, and walked back to where he found his rose. The vase still had plenty of water in it, and when Germany put the rose in the vase, the rose was suddenly alive; its petals suddenly sprouting out, healthy and lively. Germany smiled to himself lightly at the lively rose.

"Now to take it back to that man." Germany said with a heavy sigh. Germany took the rose from the vase and turned to make his way back.

There was the sudden sound of glass breaking from a nearby window, a stray shard cutting Germany's hand. Germany turned around and saw, to his surprised horror, The Lady in Blue crawling towards her, dragging her frame behind her. Germany hesitated for a nanosecond before reacting on impulse and punching the woman in the face. Usually, Germany would never hit a woman. But this was no woman; this was a monster. Germany ran down the corridor as The Lady in Blue shrieked in pain and when he reached the door slammed it shut behind him, breathing heavily. He had already encountered that _thing_ before, as it tried to throttle him for his rose the first time. Germany breathed a bit more as he brushed a few stray strands from his forehead.

After a moment, Germany made his way towards the man who was on the floor.

"Hey, you there, on the floor. Stand up." Germany said bluntly. There was a moment of silence. But then the man lifted his head up to reveal pale violet eyes that eyed Germany curiously. The man looked oddly familiar.

"… So you're _not _a creep painting?" The man asked slowly as he stood up cautiously. Germany shook his head at him.

"I am as normal as you I think." Germany replied. When the man stood up, he was roughly the same height as Germany, perhaps a few inches shorter. The man's eyes were on the blue rose that was in Germany's grasp.

"Oh, so you took my rose." The man said in a shocked voice.

"Ja, it looked like it needed some water." Germany said, holding out the rose to the man. The man took the rose off of Germany hesitantly and nodded his head at Germany respectively.

"Thank you for saving my rose. I would have died if you hadn't… I'm Garry." The man said, sticking his hand out to Germany. Germany grasped his hand firmly and shook it.

"Ludwig." Germany said.

"How long have you been down here?" Garry asked. Germany frowned. He didn't know why this Garry was asking such a strange question. Nevertheless, it would have been rude to not give an answer.

"Not long, I was walking down some stairs looking for my… my friend, and wound up here." Germany replied truthfully. He was very close to calling Italy his burden instead of his friend. Garry nodded slowly.

"I see, I've been here for quite a while now… we need to get out as soon as possible." Garry said defiantly. This man somehow reminded him of Prussia in a way. It was probably because of his messy hair. Germany nodded at him.

"I agree. I believe we should co-operate to find the exit as soon as possible." Germany stated. He didn't care what other things he would encounter in this strange place. Germany just wanted to make sure that Italy and Japan were out of harm's way.

* * *

_The words in the upcoming paintings that usually have '?' will be replaced with words that I myself think will fit in the sentence/ painting titile, so don't worry if you think that your own opinion would be wrong. This will also apply to Ib, so you won't see something like '? World.' And just in case I forget, Ib and Mary would be to me 23 years old, a bit older than Italy and Germany, with Garry not ageing in Guertena's world and being at least 25 years old. _


	3. III: Cats, Liars and Carrie Careless

_He wasn't like others that she had met, as he was so cheery and jolly around her that it was slightly unnerving. But it was nice at the same time. He somehow made her feel a lot safer in this nightmare world._

* * *

**III – Cats, Liars and Carrie Careless**

Ib hadn't met anyone as strange as Feliciano Vargas in her entire life. After finding the ant its painting (to be honest, the ant didn't seem that enthusiastic) and the confrontation with the hands that had lunged out from the walls (leaving Ib to deal with a terrified Feliciano) Ib had found herself crossing a large gap in the ground with the painting acting as their bridge, with Feliciano in front of her. He wasn't like others that she had met, as he was so cheery and jolly around her that it was slightly unnerving. But it was nice at the same time. He somehow made her feel a lot safer in this nightmare world.

"Be very careful, Ib. You don't want to fall." Feliciano said hesitantly just before he reached the other side of the gap. Ib nodded as she stepped onto the painting. She heard a sudden _squish_, looked down and noticed that the ant in the painting had looked as if it was stepped upon. Ib couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty as Feliciano helped her across.

"Thank you, Feliciano." Ib said gratefully, bowing slightly. Feliciano smiled at her warmly as he walked towards the door and opened it for her with a graceful bow.

"Not at all, _bella_." Feliciano said with a kind expression, his amber eyes shining at Ib brightly. Ib giggled softly as she walked through the door to find herself facing a headless mannequin in a red dress. She didn't understand why she was greeted with this art piece, but she noticed that on the floor in front of the mannequin was a green key that glistened brightly.

"There's the key!" Feliciano said happily, rushing towards the key and picking it up quickly. Feliciano smiled at her again, his cheeks glowing as he clutched the key tightly in his grip. But Ib wasn't looking at Feliciano anymore. Someone, no, some_thing_ else had caught her eye.

The mannequin twitched slightly, its finger flexing and its arms rising upwards slowly as if ready to grab Feliciano. Its legs sluggishly began to move, and yet Feliciano didn't notice. Ib's face had gone a chalky white, her eyes wide as she trembled in fear. The mannequin was smaller than she remembered it to be, and a lot slower than it was before- What on earth was she talking about, she had never _been _to this world before. But why was it that she felt a wave of fear crash over her, as if she was being greeted by her worst nightmare?

It didn't take long for Feliciano to notice the monster. He turned his head to it, screamed slightly and sprinted towards Ib. He grabbed her by the hand tightly and pulled her along with him through the door. On impulse, Ib closed the door behind her, but the creature simply destroyed the door.

"Quickly!" Feliciano yelled, pulling Ib across the painting to the other side. As Ib crossed the painting, she heard the sound of tearing paper as she slipped. Ib gasped loudly, the ground leaving her feet far too quickly for her, but Feliciano sharply pulled her towards him so that she collided into his chest as he held her tightly. There was a sound of splintering wood, a rush of wind and shattering glass or even pottery. After a moment of silence, Feliciano slackened his grip on Ib.

"I-I think it's dead." Feliciano said in a soft voice. Ib looked over her shoulder and saw that the frame, the painting and the monster itself had vanished. Ib felt at ease for a moment, but then thought of the possibilities of the monster returning. She didn't want to encounter the monster anytime soon.

"Let's go, we don't want it to come back up." Ib said softly. Feliciano nodded rigidly as he let go of Ib slowly. The two of them left the room in silence, walking close together as they passed the still lively, black shrivelled up hands that had sprouted from the walls until they turned the corner and reached a green door. Ib looked at Feliciano with a concerned look on her face. She was scared witless, but for some reason, she didn't want to show it. Feliciano however seem to have known her fear, as he patted her shoulder gently. He was trembling dangerously. As he unlocked the door, Ib stood behind Feliciano slightly. She felt as helpless as a nine-year old.

But there was nothing to fear, even though the sight was rather bizarre. Ib and Feliciano had found themselves face to face with a wall that had large black cat eyes and a small fish imprint in the wall instead of a door or even a mouth. Feliciano stared for a while and then chuckled lightly, whereas Ib just stared at it with a shocked expression.

"What on earth…?" Ib asked herself as Feliciano laughed. As Feliciano calmed down, he placed a hand on the imprint gently with a questioning look on his face.

"It looks like we need some kind of key." Feliciano said puzzlingly. Ib nodded to herself as she looked around. There were two doors, one to her left, and one to her right. But for some reason she felt as if she had been here before, just as she felt when she encountered that monster. It was then Ib had a bizarre idea.

"You go left, I'll go right." Ib said. Feliciano turned his head to her with a mortified expression on his face.

"Huh?! But, I don't want you to be alone. What if you get hurt?" Feliciano asked.

"I'll scream." Ib replied simply enough. Feliciano frowned at her worryingly as he crossed his arms at her.

"What if I don't hear you?" Feliciano asked. Ib frowned. She didn't want to worry him.

"Then I'll come to you." Ib replied in an encouraging tone. Feliciano stared at Ib worryingly. They stared at each other for a while, Ib staring at Feliciano long and hard. It was a while until Feliciano breathed out slowly.

"… OK then." Feliciano said in defeat. Ib smiled and as she made her way towards the door on the right. She placed her hand on the handle and twisted it and heard it unlock. She looked at Feliciano with a reassuring smile.

"See you soon." Ib said. She opened the door and closed it behind her before Feliciano could change his mind. Ib had found herself in what seemed to be a supply room, with stacked cardboard boxes, multiple white mannequins and large stone heads. As she walked through around the porcelain heads, she noticed a painting of a beautiful red rose that looked exactly like hers. Ib found herself both drawn and slightly scared towards the painting.

Ib then heard the sound of something being dragged across the floor. Ib turned her head sharply to see that the middle head had moved from its original position. It was then she had an idea. She walked away from the stone head, until she noticed a slab of white concrete. She moved towards the boxes that were at the end of the room and stood still. She braced herself to scream if necessary. There was the sound of porcelain scraping across the floor, but then there was the sudden sound of porcelain breaking. Ib turned her head to see the head shattered on the floor, and saw a blue wooden fish tail in the midst of the debris. Ib picked up the tail and stared at the shards apologetically.

"I'm sorry." Ib said. Ib didn't really know why she was apologising, she just felt that it was necessary. She left the room quickly and realised that Feliciano wasn't there anymore. Surely it didn't take him that long to find the other half, did it? Ib could have waited, but she had a feeling that if she waited, she would have been waiting forever. And so she made her way towards the other room.

The other room had eight pillars, all with different displays. Ib noticed that Feliciano was staring at the end column, his face white, body rigid. Ib felt a sudden chill down her spine. She knew that, despite not knowing him for long, that something had disturbed him greatly. She made her way towards him, but he didn't respond to her approach. He clutched a blue wooden fish head in his hand tightly.

"Feliciano, what's the matter?" Ib asked worrying. Feliciano didn't reply, but just stared at the display. Ib frowned, and shook his shoulder lightly.

"Feliciano…?" Ib asked again. She looked at the display that seemed to have traumatised Feliciano. There stood a man with blonde hair, piercing blue eyes with an odd looking black hat and black robes, blood smeared all over his chest as a sword had pierced his heart. There was a horrid beauty to the painting.

"Who's that?" Ib asked softly. Feliciano blinked suddenly and looked at Ib in the upmost surprise, as if he only noticed her until right that moment. Feliciano shook his head quickly and stared at the painting again.

"Nothing… it's… it's just something from a nightmare." Feliciano said in a hushed tone.

* * *

Mary liked the company of Kiku Honda very much. He was very quiet, but he was very wise and calm indeed. Well, so was Mary, but that was only because she remembered everything now. When she jumped through the _Abyss of the Deep_ after pushing that other man who was most probably dead, she felt a sudden rush of being alive. She was home again; back with her other family members and with her make believe friends. But she knew that she didn't have power here anymore. They didn't seem to remember her as much as they used to, but that didn't matter; they'd remember her soon.

But now she stayed close to Kiku as he opened a door that had the sign **_The_** _**Liar's Room**_ on the wall next to it. She enjoyed this room when she lived in this world, as she turned all the ladies to hate the lady in the brown so that they only defended each other. It was fun.

The women were all in the same order as she remembered which were green, brown, yellow, blue, white and red. All of them were posing fabulously, their black silhouettes contrasting their outfits drastically; all except the brown one, who had stood there with a humble grace to her posture. The women's black heads twitched up, and looked at Kiku and Mary sharply.

"_Oh look here, girls! A fellow for a change! Aww, he brought his lady, bless him!_" The woman in white cooed loudly as the other women giggled. Kiku looked at the painting in sudden alarm.

"You-You can talk?" Kiku asked in awe. The women giggled again, keeping still as if posing for a photo.

"_Oh yes, indeed we can!_" The woman in the red replied with a sly tone. Mary felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that they remembered her now; she could feel their hidden eyes piercing into her soul. But she had to act calm, had to be a normal as possible. She didn't want to arouse any suspicion.

"What do you want?" Mary asked in a timid voice, hiding behind Kiku as if she was scared of them. The women laughed again.

"_Well you see that door between blue and I?_" The yellow one asked. Mary turned her head to see the yellow door, as yellow as her rose, standing tall in front of them. Mary nodded sharply.

"_In that room are tiles that can be moved from the ground! But be careful; only one is safe!_" The green woman said in a shrill voice. Kiku frowned at the women, obviously confused.

"What do you mean?" Kiku asked. The woman in blue giggled.

"_Well, the rest have a poisonous gas to them! It could kill you in an instant!_ _But one of us knows which one it is!_" The woman in blue said in a matter of fact tone, with the other women making noises of agreement. Mary noticed that the woman in brown had stayed silent throughout.

"How do we know which one is telling the truth?" Mary asked to the brown woman. It was a while until the brown woman replied, and when she did, her voice was soft and gentle.

"_You would have to ask each one of us. But a word of warning; only one of us is telling the truth._" The woman replied. Mary looked at Kiku, who seemed to be deep thought, clutching his sword tightly.

"Should we ask green first?" Mary asked. Kiku looked at her for a second, but then nodded at her.

"Very well then." He replied. Mary smiled at him brightly and walked up towards the green woman confidently. Mary would play by the rules first, but she knew which one was the only truth teller.

"Well?" Mary asked loudly. The green woman laughed melodically.

"_Stand in front of the statue, go west three steps, then south one step. That's the answer_!" The woman replied.

"_Ah yes, the only truth speaker wears green_!" The woman in blue called out in a matter of fact tone. Mary smiled to herself manically as she walked towards the blue one slowly and whispered so that only the blue woman could hear.

"_Liar_." Mary whispered. The woman in blue didn't respond much, except laughing at Mary acidly. Mary turned towards Kiku who seemed to be lost in thought again. He looked at her with sharp brown eyes.

"Should I go in?" Kiku asked. Mary shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't mind. Just don't yourself in there, alright?" Mary asked sternly. Kiku laughed softly.

"I won't." Kiku replied. He walked towards the yellow door, opened it slowly and stepped through whilst closing the door behind him. He must have thought that the gas would filter into the air, bless him.

"_You have a nerve coming back, sweetheart! I thought you left for good!"_ The woman in red said in a snarky tone. The other woman responded with sounds of agreement. Mary laughed shallowly. As if she'd come back to his desolate wasteland of traditional art.

"Someone brought me back here. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here." Mary said sharply. Where was Kiku, he was taking his time. He might have passed out due to the gas. The woman in white scoffed in disbelief.

"_Oh really now? Well, let's see what your father has to say about that! To think he did this to bring you home!_" The woman in white said in a horrified tone. Mary laughed again, this time mockingly.

"This wasn't my father's doing. I know that only one of you is the truth-teller." Mary said, walking towards the woman in brown slowly.

"Isn't that right, brownie? You know who's behind this, don't you?" Mary asked in a soft voice. She could feel those nonexistent eyes staring straight at her.

"_It was him. Not your father, the other man from before. The one with the blue rose that you took a fancy to._" The woman in brown replied in an honest voice. Mary flinched slightly. She should have known that _he_ wouldn't give up so easily. It was then Mary heard the yellow door opening and the sound of a horrid cough. Mary turned her head to see Kiku clutching his chest tightly doubled over, wheezing. Mary hesitated for a moment, but then quickly moved towards him and rested her hand on his back gently.

"Are you alright?!" Mary asked in a horrified tone. Kiku coughed for a while longer as Mary patted his back firmly to clear his chest. But it was then she noticed that his rose didn't seem to be affected at all.

"I'm fine… I… I don't think that blue and green are truth tellers at all…" Kiku spluttered. Mary frowned. She actually liked Kiku a lot, as he was her new friend and protected her so far.

"Kiku… the one telling the truth is brown! No one's agreed with her, I asked while you were in there." Mary said, pointing at the woman in brown sharply. The woman remained silent. Kiku looked at the woman in brown.

"How can we trust them? We are in the Liar's Room." Kiku said in a pained voice as he stood up straight.

"There's an odd one out." Mary said suddenly. Kiku stared at her for a second questioningly, looking her up and down. She knew that he trusted her more than the women in the paintings. Besides, she never did liked brown so much; it was probably because the colour was too dull and earthy.

"Tell the truth, brown." Mary said out loud. There was a pause.

"_Stand in front of the statue, go east four steps, then north two steps. That's the answer!_" The woman in brown said in a fake cheery tone. Mary smiled widely as she made her way towards the yellow door. Kiku looked at her with a frown and held her back gently.

"It's too lethal for you. I'll go back in-"

"I don't want you to die here! I'll be fine!"

"No, I want to make sure that you don't get hurt." Kiku said earnestly. Mary felt her heart flip suddenly and butterflies erupting and then fluttering in her stomach.

"You're really nice, Kiku." Mary said in a sheepish tone, her cheeks growing pink. Kiku blushed heavily before he nodded and went through the yellow door again.

"_Turn around my dear, it'll get messy!_" The woman in red said in a loud, insane voice. Mary looked at the woman in brown, turned the other way and closed her eyes tightly. There was the sound of slashing paper, something splattering and a high pitched scream. Mary turned around after a moment and felt a sudden pang in her heart. She didn't want it to come to this. Kiku burst through the door, holding a tile in his hand and looked at Mary, who was white faced and trembling. Kiku looked at the woman in brown. His face fell in slight terror.

"_Ittaizentai_…?" Kiku said in horror, as he walked towards the painting of the brown woman that was torn, broken, smeared with blood red paint. The rest of the woman were still in their perfect pose, but now there was red blood splattered on their dresses, and holding a knife in their hands. There were small inscriptions underneath each painting except brown, all of them saying the same thing.

'_Liar!_'

* * *

It seemed as if the museum had changed its design completely, as Garry found himself locking the red door behind them as he and Ludwig found himself in a small library. He didn't want to encounter the Lady in Blue or the Lady in Red at all, and made sure to keep them at least arms length away from him. He would have thought that being trapped here for fourteen years he would have been used to it. But he was still human, after all. Ludwig walked towards the other door and tried to open it, but then frowned bitterly.

"_Scheiße,_ it's locked. It seems that we're stuck in here for a while." Ludwig said in a miserable tone. Garry nodded as he moved away from the door. Ludwig wasn't like people he had seen; he was too calm, too strong, and too brave to be an average human being. Any normal person would have been scared stiff of what was happening around them.

"You're very calm about all of this." Garry said in a nonchalant tone to Ludwig, looking through a few books that had different paintings from around the world. One happened to be paintings from Germany, of all places. Ludwig chuckled.

"I've seen much worse things than this." Ludwig said in a matter of fact tone. Garry nodded to himself. That was a good enough answer. But he didn't have the same aura of a human, and he was definitely not a painting. But he wasn't normal. There was a sudden banging on the door that Garry had just locked, to which Garry looked at with a sense of fear. It was locked, so surely nothing could get in. But he wasn't going to risk it. Garry moved to the end bookcase next to the other door and stood close to Ludwig.

"Get ready to brace yourself." Garry said. Ludwig nodded knowingly. The two of them looked through the bookcase, until Garry noticed a book that was standing out more than the others, as if someone didn't put it back properly. When he touched the spine of the book, he suddenly felt himself shrink and on this tip-toes, pulling out the book and staring at it holding it in his small delicate hands.

He then realised that those hands were Ib's hands.

Although he didn't know why he was able to do this, Garry had the ability to see through the eyes of Ib from the past, from her first visit to this nightmare. He wondered if she was alright now, as he had dragged her into this world himself, though unintentionally. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if she had gotten hurt. But he knew what he would do. He would make sure to get out of this nightmare before Mary could trick him again.

Garry found himself back in his own body, holding the book in his hands that had the following on the front cover:

_Moving Storybook, Written/Drawn XXXX_

_-Carrie Careless and the Galette de Rois- _

Garry hadn't seen this book before in his time here in this world, and as he stroked the front cover, he realised that it was drawn in crayon. He shrugged his shoulders slightly and opened the book, and watched the pictures come to life as he turned the pages…

_Once upon a time, four friends got together to celebrate Carrie's birthday._

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Said the friends._

"_Thanks, guys!" Said Carrie. In order to celebrate such a happy occasion, one of the friends made a Galette de Rois._

"_For your special day… we made a Galette de Rois!" Said the friend with pink hair. _

"_What's that?" Asked Carrie. A Galette de Rois was a special pie with a coin, and if you ate a slice of pie with the coin in it, then you would be a happy person! The cake was divided into four pieces, and the friends tucked in!_

"_Aah!" Said Carrie after eating her slice._

"_What is it?" Asked the friend with pink hair._

"_I think I just… swallowed something hard!" Cried Carrie._

"_Ahaha! Oh, Carrie!" Said the friend with pink hair._

"_It must've been the coin!" Said the friend with the yellow trousers._

"_What do I do…?" Asked Carrie._

"_It's fine, the coin's small! Well, I'll clean this up now!" Said the friend with the pink. Much later though, the friend with the pink hair saw her mother fretting._

"_What's wrong mom?" Asked the girl._

"_Have you seen the key to the study?" The mother asked. To the study, the girl thought?_

"_It's always right here on this tabl… Huh?" But it wasn't the key, it was the coin. The coin that should have been put in the pie! Could it be that Carrie ate the key? How careless of the girl!_

"_What do I… do…" Said the girl to herself. The knife dropped onto the floor with a clatter from the plate. It was then the girl had a crazy, monstrous, yet brilliant idea!_

"_Looks like I was just as careless as Carrie…" Said the girl with knife in hand. And so the girl had killed that silly no good Carrie Careless and found the key to the study at last hidden in her belly._

"_I found the keey! Now open the door!" Said the bloodstained girl._

_And that is the unfortunate, but fantastic end! Now go forth and beat the Master!_

Garry frowned slightly. The book was rather morbid to be a children's book, and who was the Master that it referred to at the very end? There was a sound of a door unlocking, with the banging from the other door coming to a sudden halt. Garry looked up from the book to the door with Ludwig. Garry put the book away securely and made his way towards the door. The sooner he gets out of this labyrinth and the sooner he sees Ib, the better for him overall.

* * *

_Who do you think the Master is that needs to be beat?_


	4. IV: Memories Crannies

_As they walked, Germany had discovered two things about Garry. One was that he was in need of new clothes but that Austria would have approved of him for reusing his tatty coat. The second thing was that Garry was walking as if he knew the place._

* * *

**IV – Memories Crannies**

As they walked, Germany had discovered two things about Garry. One was that he was in need of new clothes but that Austria would have approved of him for reusing his tatty coat. The second thing was that Garry was walking as if he knew the place. When they walked through the door and found themselves in a dark purple section of the accursed place, Gary groaned in annoyance.

"Not again." Garry mumbled bitterly. Germany frowned.

"Have you been here before?" Germany asked curiously. Garry hesitated for a moment.

"I guess you can say that. This isn't really my favourite place of the museum." Garry said in an honest tone. Germany was slightly confused, but nodded nonetheless. He didn't understand how Garry could know but not know where he was going. It made Germany wonder exactly how long he had been here. It must have been a while if he knew which sections weren't the best. Although, Germany couldn't think of any parts of the museum being better than the other; it was all hell to him anyways.

They walked past a mirror, with Germany taking a quick glance at his reflection. His hair was relatively neat with a few strands of hair flattened against his forehead. Germany combed his hair back with his hand and made adjustments to his uniform. He always had to keep his appearance organized.

"You can fix your hair when we get out, Ludwig." Garry called out with a slight jive. Germany's cheeks flushed a pale pink from embarrassment, but he was soon able to compose himself and followed Garry to a door with a panel in the centre. Garry stared at it intently, frowning slightly.

"What could this be? It's only one word that's missing." Garry muttered in frustration.

"Well what does the rest of it say?" Germany asked.

"Well, the rest of it says _of the Deep_. If it's from a gallery piece, I can't remember what it was." Garry said, frustrated. Germany frowned to himself. He could remember something, something that Italy had said to him a few days previously.

_"Hey Germany, there's this one painting I saw, and it's really interesting because you feel like you're staring into the deep ocean where the predators would hide in the dark. It was the Abyss of something, I don't really remember. Fratello always said it was just the surface, but I would think it would have been, well, the abyss of it, actually. Veh wouldn't you agree~?"_

"Abyss of the Deep." Germany said suddenly. Garry looked up at him sharply, a curious look on his face.

"What did you say?" Garry asked him. Germany looked at him and shrugged at him slightly.

"Erm, _Abyss of the Deep_. My friend was rather interested in it, and he said it was a painting, but…" Germany trailed. He wanted to hope that Italy and Japan would be alright by now, and not be in too much danger. But Garry's eyes widened as he grinned brightly at Germany.

"That was it! The big one in the middle of the museum, the one with the fish! Alright, let's try it. _Abyss... of the... Deep._" Garry typed into the panel. There was the sound of something unlocking, and the door opened slightly. Garry grinned.

"We're in." Garry said, pushing the door further open. At the end of the room was a painting, with a blood red background, and with six black figures being split into two groups of three by a large, jagged black crack in the centre of the painting. Germany read the plaque underneath it, which read _Separation_. Germany felt an unnerving chill down his spine.

"What a disturbing painting." Germany murmured, folding his arms uncomfortably. The place was gradually getting to him, and he simply wanted to just get out and go home. But then Germany was swallowed by a sudden darkness. Garry cried out in shock.

"W-What the-?!" Garry exclaimed. Germany stayed calm and composed as he reached for his phone in his pocket. That should be able to cast some light for him.

"It seems that the lights have gone out. And it also seems that my phone battery is dead." Germany grumbled to himself, as he flipped his phone open and closed, and then shoving it back in his pocket. Great, it was just his luck.

"Wait a minute, I have a lighter in here somewhere…" Garry voice's said out of the darkness. Germany stayed still, his hand in his pocket clasped around his gun, preparing himself for any confrontation. He heard something rustling from Garry's general direction and saw as if from nowhere a single flame burst in front of Garry's face. But then the flame went out abruptly, followed by the sound of something crashing onto the floor, glass shattering, a shrill scream echoed through the air. Germany quickly pulled out his gun just as the lights suddenly came on. The walls were defaced with different messages in different bright colours, all of them begging for something to stop. The entire room was in disarray.

"What on earth?" Germany asked aloud in slight. Garry looked around, a frown on his face.

"Ah!" Garry cried out in pain sharply, hissing to himself as he clutched his forehead with one hand tightly, his eye screwed up in pain. Germany was taken by surprise. He was fine a moment ago. What on earth was happening?

"Are you alright?" Germany asked loudly, as Garry fell to his knees as he groaned. He clutched his head tightly with both hands as he trembled madly, groaning in pain. He wasn't responding at all.

"Garry! Can you hear me?!" Germany cried out loudly, crouching next to Garry as he clutched his head in pain as he screamed in agony. Germany didn't have any idea on what to do, how to stop him screaming. So he yelled at Garry constantly, hoping to reach to him. But as Garry screamed louder, Germany only watched with a horrified expression. _Gott bitte_, Germany thought to himself, _just what is happening to him?_ But then the screaming stopped suddenly as Garry's arms dropped to his sides. Germany stayed still.

"Are you alright?" Germany asked in a concerned tone. There was a moment of silence. But when Germany went to put his hand on Garry's shoulder, he let out a low laugh.

"Oh… I remember now." Garry said softly.

"What?" Germany asked. Garry stood up slowly, fixing his tattered coat slightly as he chuckled to himself darkly.

"She doesn't like fire, does she? Oho, she's here now. And she's close too. You think that you can hide from me, don't you? Oh, we'll see about that Mary." Garry said to himself with a demonic grin.

"What are you talking about?" Germany asked, slightly uncomfortable, staring up at Garry. Garry looked at him with a blank expression, his eyes clouded with realisation and, possibly, sudden remembrance.

"You'll see." Garry said with a knowing smile. Germany wasn't sure if he actually wanted to.

* * *

Japan had noticed that Mary was oddly clingy to him as they made their way deeper into the deranged gallery. He was so used to her being rather loud and bubbly as usual, but now she was rather quiet and withdrawn. There were times when Mary would reach out for his hand, and then quickly pull back and clench them into small, delicate fists. Japan didn't really take notice of this at first, but after a dozen times of her pulling away, Japan turned his head to her with a curious expression on his face.

"Is everything alright?" Japan asked. Mary smiled at him brightly as she giggled lightly.

"Mhm, I'm fine, Kiku. Don't worry about me!" Mary laughed lightly. Japan nodded, unconvinced. She had been acting like this since their encounter in **_The Liar's Room_**, and seemed to not be as energetic as before. Perhaps the result of the woman in the brown dress frightened her. To be honest, he hadn't seen something so artistically brutal.

"Actually, Kiku, I'm not alright at all; to be honest, I'm really scared." Mary said in a soft voice, stopping in her tracks slowly. Japan stopped and turned his head to her as she fidgeted on the spot nervously.

"Do you… do you think that we could die in here?" Mary asked quietly. Japan didn't dare reply and simply shrugged his shoulders at her. It was the only response he could think to give her at the time. Mary looked at him with a terrified expression on her face.

"But, I can't die in here, not now! I need to find my sister and make sure she's safe! I'm scared, and I don't like this feeling at all!" Mary said in frustration, stamping her foot on the ground childishly with tears in her eyes with clenched fists by her sides. Japan walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder gently. She looked at Japan with a shocked expression.

"Mary, it is alright to be afraid. It's normal for humans to feel fear." Japan said in his best comforting tone. Mary however looked unconvinced as she folded her arms nervously.

"But Ib… she suffers from amnesia. She's prone to losing her memory, and I don't want anyone to take advantage of that!" Mary exclaimed loudly as she began babbling her fears to him. Japan decided to place both of his hands firmly on Mary's shoulders again as she stopped babbling immediately.

"When we find her, I am sure she will be safe and sound." Japan said firmly but not unkindly. Mary took a deep breath in and breathed out just as deeply. She looked at him with trusting blue eyes, making Japan feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I hope so…" Mary murmured softly. Japan smiled at her quickly before carrying on walking towards a door that they were sure hadn't been there before. Japan opened the door to reveal three different sculptures; one was of a cut wine glass and made into an uncomfortable looking seat. The other was a multicoloured skeleton, with each part painted a different vibrant colour that irritated Japan's eyes. But the last one was a daunting looking tree that vaguely resembled a person.

"Kiku?" Mary asked softly. Japan looked at her with a curious look on his face as she had wandered towards the tree.

"What is it?" Japan asked.

"Remember that message? The one on the back of that painting: '_Behind the big tree_?' Do you think that, this could be the tree?" Mary asked, looking at the tree intensely. Japan shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't actually thought about that message to be honest. It was when Mary had pulled out something that gleamed in the light, which made Japan curious.

"What's a ring doing here? Do you think it could be something special?" Mary asked. Japan walked towards her, and frowned at the ring. It was a simple silver band, big enough to fit on a woman's finger.

"Those hands at the beginning… they were the Grieving Bride's hands." Japan muttered to himself, looking at the ring puzzlingly. Mary looked at the ring with a frown, and then turned her head to Japan.

"Do you think that this could have been her wedding ring?" Mary asked. Japan simply shrugged his shoulders again.

"It is possible." Japan replied. He looked at the ring, then to Mary and then to the door. He didn't want to risk Mary's life, and this room seemed to be safe enough. He noticed a particular pattern; they were safe as long as there were no paintings of The Lady in Red or any headless mannequins.

"Wait here for a moment. I will be back as soon as possible." Japan added in a kind tone. Mary looked at him with a slightly worried expression, but nodded at him nonetheless. He made his out and firmly closed the door behind him. He walked down the corridor until he was face to face with a pair of black shrivelled. he made his way to the hand on his right, which when they came was on his left.

"Hmm, naturally the ring would go on the _ring _finger." Japan said to himself with frown, placing the ring on the ring finger. And with that the frowns on the paintings vanished, only to be replaced with happy and content smiles on the Bride and the Groom. The Bride let out a muted laugh and threw the bouquet in the air. Japan saw, to his surprise the bouquet towards, stood back and caught it with outstretched. The roses were a salmon pink and smelt surprisingly fresh of the cherry blossoms that he was so used to. He looked up to the Bride with a smile on his face as he bowed to her respectfully.

"Ah, thank you very much, young lady. I hope you remain happy for the rest of your-"

_A scream_.

Japan turned his head towards the direction of the scream; there was no doubt that the scream belonged to Mary. The echo bounced off of the walls and in his head, alongside a slight ringing in his head.

"Mary? Are you alright?" Japan called out loudly. He received no reply, and he felt his heart race suddenly. He ran towards the door, but he realised that the corridor was too long, too narrow for him to get through. It was the first time he felt panicked about a human's wellbeing. It was the first that he was genuinely scared.

When he reached the door, Japan had found that he had thrown himself into it immediately, his shoulder screaming in the pain that he chose to ignore. The door flung open suddenly, Japan almost fell over his own feet as the door opened for him. But the sight he saw made his blood run cold, as Mary lay on the floor face down, pale skinned and limp, her body sprawled openly, her bright blonde hair shrouding her face. Japan's heart stopped painfully.

"Mary!" Japan yelled, rushing towards her. He fell to his knees, pulled her towards him closely and searched her body with frantic eyes. Mary's eyes were closed and seemed to be sealed shut. There were no bruises, no signs of attack, but why was she so still and so oddly cold?

"Mary, can you hear me?! _Mary_!" Japan cried, shaking Mary's shoulders madly. Her head flopped forwards and backwards lifelessly, in the end her head rolled into his chest. But Japan continued to shake, hoping that she would just somehow respond to his actions.

As Japan's panic steadily increased, to his relief, he heard Mary let out a choked cough, followed by a ragged, sharp breath as her eyes were suddenly flung open. Japan stared at Mary in awe as she stared at him back with wide, lost eyes.

"K-Kiku?" Mary stammered. Japan breathed out in relief. It was all that he could manage at that moment.

"Thank goodness you're al-" Japan started. But he was cut off as Mary flung her arms around Japan's neck, clinging tightly as she trembled madly. Japan was caught off guard and almost fell back onto the floor, but was able to support himself by his arms, his body somewhat numb with shock.

"I was so scared! T-There was fire _everywhere_! I-I thought that I was going to die!" Mary stammered, clinging onto Japan as she began sobbing quietly. Japan was still for a moment, before hugging Mary's waist comfortingly and cooing to her gently.

"You're safe now, Mary. I promise." Japan whispered.

* * *

Italy slammed the door behind him and Ib, locking it firmly as he heard The Lady in Blue banging her fist on the door as she screeched loudly. Italy pressed his hands against the door firmly, and waited for the thumping to stop. His breathing was heavy from the nonstop sprinting, with Ib clutching her chest tightly as she collapsed onto her knees, panting heavily. Italy leaned against the wall, sweat rolling down his cheeks, his chest burning him, with his rose in his jacket pocket. On Italy's upper arm was also a deep scratch wound from The Lady in Red, blood oozing into his sleeve slowly.

"We… we should be safe in here." Italy breathed out, making his way towards Ib, crouching down to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him with an exhausted, drained expression, her skin slightly pale. She was obviously tired. She looked down at Italy's arm with a fearful expression on her face.

"Feliciano, you're bleeding." Ib said with a slight whimper. Italy smiled at Ib lightly as he laughed lightly.

"It doesn't hurt, honest. I'll be fine. You weren't hurt, were you?" Italy asked, checking Ib over for any injuries. He didn't really like to lie, especially to Ib, his arm was screaming in pain, and he felt far too faint for his own liking. But Ib's safety came first to him. After Italy had been assured by Ib that she wasn't hurt at all multiple times, Italy stood up and looked around, clutching his injured arm tightly. In the room were three bookcases, one window, a white and red double seat and a large painting of a man and a woman in fanciful clothes. The woman was all in red, her hair a nice brown colour, with the man dressed in a greyish blue suit and brown hair also. The details on the painting were almost perfect, but the only thing that was unusual was the fact that the faces had been blurred slightly. Italy frowned. There was something about this painting that was familiar to him.

"Hmm, Ib, look at this painting. It's called _'Couple_.' Does it look familiar to…" Italy's voice trailed away as he saw that Ib's face was now the colour of a pure white sheet, her red eyes wide in fear and horror, standing out drastically against her skin. She started trembling violently as she placed a hand on the painting.

"They're… they're… mother… father…" Ib stammered. Italy looked at the painting in shock. At first he didn't understand how they could have been her parents, but he saw that she looked a lot like her mother. But this couldn't be good at all. Ib took a trembling step back, shaking her head slowly.

"No… _no_…" Ib said softly, walking away from the painting. Italy looked at her worryingly.

"Ib, are you–" Italy was cut off by a sudden banging from the window, a menacing handprint pressed against the glass. Italy's heart stopped. If he didn't do something, they'd come through the window without a doubt.

"_Merda_." Italy hissed, rushing towards the tall bookcase, placing his hands on it. If he could block the window, they could buy more time to get out. As he began to push the bookcase, Italy could hear Ib's breathing increase drastically, too quickly, too uneven. Italy looked towards her, and saw that she was clutching her head in her hands, her eyes swirling around her sharply, madly as she whimpered to herself.

"Ib, it's going to be OK." Italy groaned as he gave the bookcase a final shove, blocking the window perfectly. Italy breathed out heavily with relief and achievement. He wasn't as weak as everyone thought he was. But he couldn't think about his achievement now. He rushed towards Ib and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ib! Ib, look at me, please-!" Italy asked with slight panic in his voice. Ib shook her head, her hands still holding it tightly.

"_No… _oh_ no… it was me… _he… he died because of_ me!_" Ib whispered to herself in a high-pitched voice. Italy looked at her pleadingly, cupping her face in his hands gently, looking at her with soft, amber eyes.

"Ib, you- you need to stay with me, OK? I can't help you if you don't calm down!" Italy pleaded, trying his best to smile at her. But Ib just looked at Italy with lost eyes, wide and fearful and worse of all, vulnerable. Italy felt his heart shatter at the sight of her. Ib shook her head again frantically, clutching her chest tightly.

"I… I… I can't _breathe_…" Ib said breathlessly. Italy's eyes widened in fear as he made Ib look at him again.

"Ib, I need you to listen to me! Deep breaths, now, alright?" Italy said in a calm, stern voice. Ib shook her head again, trembling.

"I… I can't… I… I…" Ib stammered. Ib closed her eyes tightly, covering them with her eyes as she started wailing. Italy forcefully moved her hands from her face and looked at her with a more serious expression on his face.

"Ib, _look at me_!" Italy cried out. Ib screamed, her voice high and shrill. Italy was taken aback due to both shock and worry. She had seemed so calm, so quiet so far. This reaction wasn't one that he was expecting at all. Nor was it a favourable reaction.

"_Nooooooo_!" Ib screamed. Italy tried to calm her as she screamed at the top of her lungs, thrashing in Italy's arms. He tried keeping her as still as he could, but she would simply push herself away from him as she screamed louder and louder. Italy felt helpless as she screamed, trying to think of ways to calm her down.

"Ib, please, please listen to me!" Italy yelled desperately,

"_GARRY, HELP MEEEEEEE_!" Ib screamed. She scratched at Italy's wound as she tried to get away. Italy cried out in pain as a response, but kept a firm hold on her. He hadn't encountered this with anyone. He was probably as scared as Ib. But then she went limp in his hold, her screams coming to an abrupt halt. Italy, overwhelmed by panic, began taking her pulse. He was thankful that he could find one. He was exhausted; he wondered how much blood he had lost so far. He just wanted to get out of this situation.

But then Italy saw, to his horror, the door come crashing down, revealing The Lady in Red. She snarled at Italy manically as she crawled towards him quickly, a demonic smile on her face. Italy was frozen for a second, but then looked down at Ib, who seemed to be definitely unconsciousness. He scooped her up and held her in his arms bridal style and started backing away from The Lady in Red.

"Need to get away." Italy said to himself fearfully. But as Italy backed away, he saw the wall suddenly collapse, and saw to his horror the Lady in Yellow crawl out of the debris, her own twisted snarl on her face as she made her way towards him and Ib. Italy began to whimper as he found himself in a corner. He had to get out and make sure that Ib was safe. As Italy began silently praying to himself, he noticed a gap between the two Ladies. He could use it to his advantage if he wanted to. He was always a good runner. It was time to use it to his advantage. Italy took a deep breath, and, with a slight battle cry, ran between the Ladies and through the hole in the wall.

Nearly all of the paintings and the mannequins had come to life, crawling or marching towards him sluggishly. Normally Italy would cry and bed for Germany to come save him. But at that moment he knew that Germany wouldn't even be able to find him, let alone reach him in time. So Italy ran past the creatures and the odd porcelain head that seemed to watch him run. A yellow mannequin became suddenly animated as soon as he ran past and lunged at Ib. But Italy moved slightly so that it tore at Italy's hand. Italy cried out in pain. He was definitely exhausted and weak as he had made a trail of blood behind him. But then, to his upmost delight, he saw that the door that was previously locked was now wide open, beckoning to him. Italy sprinted down the corridor and through the door, and slammed the door shut with his shoulder.

Italy stumbled down the corridor, passing paintings of the same man, whom as he gradually smiled down at Italy, was crying tears of blood from his eyes. Italy felt his footsteps become sluggish, his arm and hand screaming in pain. He was so tired, so very tired. Italy breathed heavily, his eyesight slightly blurred as he found himself collapsing to his knees. He couldn't carry on, he simply couldn't. He looked at Ib with a pained expression, who was still out cold in his arms. But one thing came to him that brought a smile to his face: she was alive. Italy lowered Ib onto the ground gently. He closed his eyes slowly, his mind slowing down, his heartbeat decreasing.

"I'm… not… weak…" Italy said with a breathless sigh. And then he collapsed onto his side, letting himself to be engulfed into nothingness.


	5. V: Separation

_ Garry looked at Mary with a dark glare again, and at that moment they knew exactly what Mary was thinking. The World remembered her now. They could tell that she was home. And yet, this would be her greatest downfall. _

* * *

**V – Separation**

Ib opened her eyes to see a blank wall facing her. The corridor was larger than she remembered, as she was leaning against another wall with a painting. Strange, what was that digging into her back? Ib turned around to see a dark, strange and distorted painting, with certain parts of it jumping out at her. It sent a nasty chill down her spine. What was it called? Ib looked at the plaque underneath it but only recognised one word: _'? World._' Ib frowned. Surely she knew what the first word was. But that didn't matter. She walked away from the painting down the corridor, looking around as she walked. Nearly all of the artworks towered above her. It was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

She walked down the stairs, but suddenly felt herself stop midway on the step. She saw the reception and the receptionist, still and emotionless. But there was someone else. Blonde hair that was the brightest living gold, clear blue eyes, pale cream skin, all together with a green dress and a blue tie. But there was something different about Mary. It was after a while when Ib noticed that Mary had something in her hand, the light catching it and reflecting it dazzlingly. In Mary's hand Ib saw a scalpel knife, sharp and well kept and shimmering in blue paint that looked too much like discoloured blood. Ib felt her own blood run cold. Mary turned to Ib, an innocent and bright expression on her face, blue paint splattered across her face, a destroyed, blue rose in her other hand.

"There you are, Ib! I was worried about you. Did you get lost? Honestly, sometimes I wonder what I'll do with you." Mary said, her voice taunting and sadistic, as she slowly made her way towards Ib. Ib looked behind Mary's shoulder. She saw a body of a man with a tattered coat, blue paint covering the body. As if to be his blood. Ib gasped in horror, took one step back, then quickly ran up the stairs. But the stars were never ending; the white walls of the museum were now becoming darker, more hauntingly familiar. She was alone. She was trapped. She could hear Mary calling after her. But why was she running? Mary wouldn't hurt her, would she? She had grown up with Mary. They were sisters after all. Weren't they?

Ib fell to the ground just as she reached the top step, something clenching her ankle. Ib turned her head sharply. A woman all in red trapped in a frame, with blood red eyes and brown hair and a snarling grin and pointed teeth, her skin dripping off of her face slowly. It was as if she was melting in front of her. Many thoughts whirled through Ib's mind as she screamed and as the painting dragged her into the darkness. Why, if she and Mary were twins, did Mary so painfully stand out? Why was it that she appeared when on the news a young art apprentice suddenly vanished? And why was it, that a painting that looked so familiar always made her sad, but Mary would simply pull her away?

Ib's screams never ceased, and Mary's strained cackling had appeared suddenly in her head, ringing in her ears. She screamed as she felt herself sinking into the darkness, into the unknown abyss. She couldn't breathe anymore. She felt the air suddenly leave her lungs, her heart rising in her chest as she felt herself falling-

"_Ib, wake up_!" Feliciano cried. Ib gasped sharply as she sat up immediately, eyes wide as she looked around where she was, trembling and face drenched in sweat, a blue jacket draped across her legs, and realised that it belonged to Feliciano. The room was small with two bookshelves, with a strange but lovely looking painting called _"Untitled." _The door was closed. Ib looked at Feliciano, who looked at her with a relieved look on his face as he sighed out.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I was starting to get worried about you; you were crying in your sleep, so I assumed that you were having a nightmare." Feliciano said in a sincere tone. Ib nodded absentmindedly, staring at Feliciano awe-struck. She remembered feeling the walls closing in on her, she remembered the tight pain in her chest and the unconsciousness sinking in and taking her under. His arm had been hurt badly the last she remembered.

"Your arm…" Ib muttered. She felt her face flush slightly in shame as she remembered scratching his wound, his face in pain, the red of his blood seeping through his sleeve. Feliciano looked at her with a frown for a second, but then a dawn of realisation crept upon his face. He showed her his injured arm, which had been miraculously bandaged tightly and well tended to. But there was a deep scratch on his hand that hadn't been tended to, but was healing on its own regardless. Ib stared at the bandage in mild surprise.

"How did you…?" Ib asked. Feliciano shrugged his shoulders in an honest way.

"It… it wasn't me. It was like this when I woke up. When we got out, I fainted halfway down the corridor. I woke up in here with my arm all bandaged and you propped up against the wall with a note attached to my jacket. I was worried about you, so I gave you my jacket to keep you warm." Feliciano said with a slight smile, draping his jacket around Ib's still trembling shoulders. Ib smiled at Feliciano nervously and shyly, her cheeks a peach pink.

"T-Thank you." Ib said softly. Feliciano smiled at her widely as he stood up slowly.

"Just tell me when you're ready to leave, _va bene bella_?" Feliciano asked as he made his way towards the bookshelves. Ib nodded at him, not really understanding was '_va bene bella_' actually meant, and made a mental note to look it up if she was ever able to leave this nightmarish world. Ib looked at Feliciano's jacket, and noticed the bloodstained sleeve. The blood stood out drastically, and to Ib's slight disgust, she could still smell the stench of blood, the blood slightly glistening in the light. Ib frowned, but now something else had come to mind. Feliciano had said something odd about finding a note.

"Feliciano, what did the note say?" Ib asked innocently, looking at Feliciano as he quickly forced a book back onto the shelf with a bright red face and his curl somehow crooked as if unpleasantly shocked, his eyes wide in embarrassment and horror and disgust, muttering something about not being suitable for children at all. He looked at Ib with a confused expression on his face, with furrowed eyebrows and a confused frown.

"Hmm? What was that you asked?" Feliciano asked.

"That note that you had found when you woke up; what did it say?" Ib asked. Feliciano shrugged his shoulders again, his face turning its normal skin tone as he traced the books on the bookshelf thoughtfully.

"It said something about me being in debt. I don't really remember. When I gave you my jacket, it just… vanished." Feliciano replied. Ib stood up, holding Feliciano's jacket in one hand.

"What do you mean?" Ib asked, handing Feliciano his coat. Feliciano thanked her as he put his jacket on slowly. He frowned again, this time this expression more thoughtful as he buttoned up his jacket neatly.

"It's like I said. One minute it was there. And the next, well, it was gone. It just vanished into thin air. Like it was burning away; disintegrating into nothingness." Feliciano replied, looking down at his hand with a dazed expression on his face, as if this phantom note was still in his hands.

* * *

Garry couldn't help but feel enlightened and surprisingly overjoyed at these sudden turn of events. Just when he thought that he had dragged innocent people into his dilemma of finding an escape, the scream that he heard was too familiar. As they walked down the corridor, he had a feeling that maybe, for a change, things would go his way. But of course, he wanted to find Ib before he could get out. And ensure that any other visitors didn't find themselves attached to Mary.

"You seem to be in better spirits now." Ludwig said with a confused smile on his face, a few paces behind him. Garry grinned back at him as he nodded.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I suppose you can say that. I think I have an idea on how to get out now. We just need to find your friends and find my friend, and then we should be able to get out." Garry said in a positive tone. Ludwig chuckled at him.

"Who is this friend of yours, may I ask?" Ludwig asked. Garry slowed down slightly, frowning slightly. How could he describe Ib? There wasn't anything wrong with her at all, but she wasn't exactly perfect. She was quiet, but eager to learn. She was well mannered, kind hearted. A little too kind for her own good.

"My friend... she's a really good girl, really brave at times, but she has her limits. And she's kind as well, really quiet, but she's a sarcastic kid at times. Blunt too." Garry added with a chuckle, as he remembered a time when Ib had asked why he wore a ripped coat and his 'lady voice.'

"She's a child?" Ludwig asked curiously.

"Well, when I last saw her she was nine. I don't know how old she'd be now, probably in her twenties." Garry said with a shrug of his shoulders. Ludwig looked at him in confusion.

"How long have you been here then?" Ludwig. Garry shrugged his shoulders again, scratching the back of his head.

"Exactly... I think ten years or so. I lost count after a while, though, so it could have been longer." Garry replied after a while. He was sure that he had been in this hell for longer than that, but at one point in his time there, he didn't even try counting the days anymore; they were either too dull or too quick to count.

"_Ach mein Gott_! How did you cope in here for ten years; that could drive any sane person, well, insane?" Ludwig asked in astonishment. Garry chuckled again.

"I had my moments, to be honest. But I just had to think that one day I'd get out." Garry said in an honest tone.

"I admire your strong will." Ludwig said with a respectful tone. Garry shook his head at him with a smile.

"I'm a chicken, really. If you ask Ib – my friend – if she's remembers she'll tell about this one time I screamed when this painting spat at me-" Garry babbled, recalling Ib's light giggle when he fell over screaming. He noticed a door that wasn't there before, and when he turned around he noticed that Ludwig was looking at the mirror with a frown. Garry shook his head and opened the door and carried on walking.. But then he felt himself colliding with something.

"Eek!" A voice squeaked.

Correction: He felt that he had collided with some_one_.

"Sorry about that. I didn't see you... there..." Garry's voice trailed away. Garry looked at the man he bumped into. The man had auburn hair and hazel eyes with an odd curl that defied gravity all in blue, a look of shock and terror on his face. He looked oddly familiar, and yet he knew immediately he wasn't a painting. He remembered when she brought Ib and Mary back, there a man who looked just like him looking at Garry's painting. Could it be…?

"Could it be? You're... you're someone from the gallery, aren't you?" Garry asked, holding a hand out to the man. The man nodded fervently, too stunned to speak as he took Garry's hand and pulled himself up. Garry noticed that he had a green rose in his jacket pocket. This man was real.

"This is fantastic! Ludwig, there's someone from the gallery here!" Garry called out over his shoulder. Garry turned to the man with a wide grin, elated. Things really were turning out for the better.

"Y-You know Ludwig?" The man asked with a look of shock and disbelief on his face. Before Garry could say anything, he could hear Ludwig's footsteps approaching him from behind.

"What is it you said Garry - _Feliciano_?" Ludwig asked in a shocked voice. The man gasped, and then flung himself into Ludwig's chest, crying and wailing at the top of his lungs. Garry stood there, in both surprise and shock.

"_Ludwig_! I got so scared without you; I don't like this place at all! There are too many monsters here for meeee!" The man wailed. Ludwig blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Feliciano, calm down. I can assure you that – _what on earth happened to your arm_?!" Ludwig bellowed in a frantic tone, as Garry noticed the bloodstain on the man's jacket. Garry watched as Ludwig began asking the man a list of questions one after the other, the man replying that he was definitely fine.

"I take it this is one of your friends then, Ludwig?" Garry laughed as he watched Ludwig check his arm. Ludwig stopped in mid process. It seemed that he had forgotten that Garry was there. Ludwig was able to compose himself as he cleared his breath quickly.

"O-Oh, yes. This is Feliciano Vargas, a good friend of mine. Our grandfathers worked with each other, so that was how we knew each other. Feliciano, this is Garry. He's been searching for a way out with us." Ludwig said in a formal tone. Feliciano looked at Garry up and down slowly. His face lightened up suddenly. Garry was unsurprisingly confused.

"Oh. So _you're _Garry." Feliciano said with a kind smile. Garry frowned. Had someone said something to him? It wasn't really possible, seeing that he looked like he was on his own.

"I'm sorry?" Garry asked. But then Feliciano made his way to the corner that he had rushed around, and held out a hand to it sweetly. Garry looked at Ludwig with a confused look, but Ludwig looked just as confused as he did.

"Come on, Ib. It's our friends. Don't be scared." Feliciano said softly. Garry looked at the corner sharply, suddenly frozen to the spot. Ib? Was it really her after all this time? Garry felt himself panicking all of a sudden yet he had no idea why he felt so panicked. He saw a small, delicate hand take Feliciano's hesitantly as Feliciano pulled her away from the shadows; a woman, with long brunette hair that reached her waist and beautiful ruby eyes, wearing a white blouse with a red tie and skirt that reached her knees, alongside grey socks that reach her knees and brown shoes. Garry felt his heart stop suddenly as his cheeks suddenly flushed as red as the rose she clutched in her hand tightly. Garry hadn't expected this at all.

"Ib?" Garry asked in shock. Ib looked at him with wide eyes, making her way towards him slowly.

"Garry?" Ib asked softly, reaching to him and touching his face softly. Garry's face turned a beetroot red, which earned him a surprised giggled from Ib as she tried to cover her mouth politely. She looked at Garry with a relieved expression on her face, and for some reason, tears in her eyes.

"I'm so glad that... that you're not... sleeping this time." Ib said with a choked sob, flinging herself into Garry chest as she clung onto desperately as she sobbed silently into his shirt. Garry was taken aback as he remembered his last words to her:

"_I don't want to lie ... but I don't want to tell truth either... If you ... need help... I'll ... come running..."_

Garry sighed lightly as he hugged Ib back tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head lightly. She was safe, she was alive, and she was well. And despite the fact that she was sobbing, Garry couldn't help but notice something else about Ib: she was most definitely a beautiful young lady.

* * *

Mary had been holding Kiku's hand ever since her nasty encounter in the room on her own. She didn't like the fact that she was surrounded by flames, how they attached to her dress desperately, clinging onto her to turn her to ashes. Even though they were only phantoms, visions of a world that could have been, she had never liked fire. It was her greatest fear, and her worst point of vulnerability. But she was glad that Kiku was worried about her, and she was glad that she had reduced him to a frantic and panicked state of mind. Although she was going to make sure not to get him hurt, she could use him to her advantage against Garry. It was then she had an idea.

"Hey, Kiku." Mary said as they walked down the violet corridor. Kiku looked at her with a kind smile. He had been looking at her like that since the room. To be honest, she liked his smile. She thought that he should smile more often.

"What is it?" Kiku asked.

"Well, remember when we were in the library? There was a book that I read about some of the paintings." Mary said. Kiku nodded at her.

"An, I saw some as well. There were some really fantastic paintings. Why, was something odd?" Kiku asked. Mary shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, there was one painting called 'The Forgotten Portrait.' It's supposed to symbolise death and forgetfulness. It was in the gallery before I found myself here. I... I don't know how to explain it, but, that painting... I think that's why we're here." Mary blurted out. Kiku froze for a moment.

"Did it pull you in?" Kiku asked slowly as they stopped by an open door.

"No, I saw someone in blue fall in, so I jumped after them to help them." Mary half lied. She remembered the man in blue surprisingly well, who really should have died after the fall, if not be stranded somewhere alone. But she wasn't really lying; she did jump into the Abyss of the Deep. After she pushed him, of course.

"Perhaps it was something else."

"But it reached after my sister! It almost took her hand, and then the next thing I knew she was gone!"

"Well, wherever the painting is, your sister must be with it." Kiku said thoughtfully, walking through the door. Mary grabbed his hand again, and giggled as Kiku blushed suddenly. As they turned the corner, they passed a painting called 'Flowers of Jealousy.' Of course, Mary couldn't help but wonder if this was supposed to warn Ib and Garry about her. When they turned the corner again, they saw a door that was slightly ajar. She knew the room almost immediately.

"Be careful, Mary." Kiku said in a defending tone. Mary giggled. The dolls wouldn't hurt her at all, they wouldn't hurt anyone at all actually. As long as you didn't harm the babies, you were safe. Mary reached for the door handle and swung the door open to see the doll room. The dolls were lined up side by side each other, with a large picture of one titled "Red Eyes." The dolls were blue heads, arms and legs and black-ish purple yarn for hair and red and black button eyes with a blood red stitched on smile. Some were even hung from the ceiling by their necks; these ones were the ones that Mary never liked.

But there were other people in the room. A man all in green with eyes and hair like Mary's with a black rose that looked too strong and powerful. To her surprise she saw the same man in blue from the beginning with a healthy green rose in his coat pocket, with his brown hair and hazel eyes and the funny curl that made Mary curious to see what would happen if she touched it. He was holding a hold affectionately to his chest and petting its head gently, which made Mary like him suddenly. To her greatest joy, she saw Ib holding a doll in her arms looking at Mary in surprise. But Mary saw, to her greatest distaste, Garry standing in the centre of them all, looking over his shoulder as Mary made her way into the room. His eyes – or eye due to his stupid seaweed hair – widened in slightly anger and realisation, but then looked over to see Kiku, who was looking around the room in slight horror.

"And I thought my horror back home was terrifying…" Kiku murmured. The man in blue rushed towards Kiku and embraced him suddenly.

"Kiku, I'm so glad you're alright! You didn't get hurt, did you?" The man asked frantically.

"I am alright Feliciano (Mary liked the name almost as much as she liked him). but your arm, is it alright?" Kiku asked with a frown, looking at Feliciano arm, which was red with blood. Mary decided to let Kiku talk to his Feliciano and rushed towards Ib, hugging her tightly.

"Ib, you're still alive!" Mary cried out happily. Ib hugged her back tightly.

"Just about, thanks to Feliciano." Ib said in a humble voice, stepping back from the hug. Mary smiled. She did care for Ib after all; she wouldn't know what she'd do if Ib had died here. Mary then turned her attention to Garry, who was glaring at her subtly enough for only her to notice.

"You must be Mary, Ib's sister. You know, for twins," Garry said darkly, leaning close towards Mary's face, "you look _nothing_ alike at all." Mary glared back at Garry, pulling a strand of his hair sharply, making him flinch.

"I guess the _seaweed head_ here hasn't heard of fraternal twins before." Mary mumbled darkly in Ib's ear. Ib giggled lightly, looking at Mary with a fake stern expression on her face. Mary couldn't help but think that Ib was more occupied with looking at Garry more than talking to Mary.

"Sorry to interfere, but I've found a key. Perhaps it fits the other door." The blonde man said. Garry turned his head to him with a relived expression.

"Thank goodness for that, Ludwig (What a boring name, Mary thought). We can leave this unsettling room." Gary said with a tired voice. Mary glared at Garry again. How dare he call her dolls unsettling; but she had to stay calm and not flip. Feliciano frowned as he took the key off of Ludwig. He then showed Ludwig the doll in his arms with a red dress on.

"Can I take this one with me? It's too cute!" Feliciano said with a smile, squeezing the doll in his arms. Ludwig looked at him with a confused yet horrified expression, but shook his head in defeat.

"Whatever keeps you happy, I suppose." Ludwig said with a strained voice. Feliciano smiled at him happily. Mary liked him a lot. Not as much as she liked Kiku of course, but she liked Feliciano enough to keep him alive. For now.

The whole of them walked out of the room and passed the 'Flowers of Jealousy' painting. Mary glanced at the painting with an expecting glance as she stopped in front of the painting. Kiku slowed down next to Mary, Ib soon stopping next to her.

"What is it?" Ib asked. Mary pointed to the painting.

"Is it me, or it that flower getting bigger and bigger?" Mary asked, as the flower was indeed growing in size. They all stopped to stare at the painting as the red flower grey out of the frame. Kiku frowned.

"This isn't possible." Kiku said slowly. The ground started shaking suddenly. Mary smiled to herself; it was right on schedule. Mary looked down to see vines suddenly sprouting from the ground. She grabbed Ib's arm tightly and pulled her away from Garry and the vines.

"Ib, look out!" Mary exclaimed. Garry spun around on the spot and tried to reach out for Ib, only to be pulled back by both Kiku and Ludwig as Ib had subconsciously grabbed Feliciano's arms and pulled him towards her. The vines grew thick and high until they touched the ceiling with Garry stretching his hand through the gaps towards Ib.

"Ib! Are you alright?" Garry asked. Ib nodded fervently, pale faced and slightly trembling.

"I'm fine." Ib replied. Ludwig rushed towards the vines and wrapped his hands around them, an anxious and worried expression on his face as he looked at Feliciano. Kiku was just staring at Mary.

"Feliciano, are you alright?" Ludwig cried. Feliciano nodded, trying to reach out to Ludwig.

"I-I think so." Feliciano stammered. He still had the doll held close to his chest.

"We'll go and find something to cut these vines, OK?" Feliciano suggested after a while. Mary smiled at Kiku reassuringly, who looked at her worryingly.

"We'll be fine, won't we Ib? We have Feli protecting us." Mary said with a smile, glaring at Garry tauntingly. Garry glared back at Mary darkly, his eyes growing dark with hatred. But Ib nodded, unaware of the hatred.

"Yeah." Ib replied. Mary smiled. Garry looked at Mary with a dark glare again, and at that moment they knew exactly what Mary was thinking. The World remembered her now. They could tell that she was home.

And yet, this would be her greatest downfall.


End file.
